Oklahoma Community Institute
Applauds Community Successes!
Access Healthcare
The Canadian County Coalition for Children and Families developed this program to increase the rate of early, periodic screening, diagnosis and treatment in children receiving Medicaid. To identify problems earlier so they can be treated more effectively and at less cost they have place a Care Coordinator in physician's practices to work specifically with families with children receiving Medicaid. The Care Coordinator model is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other professional groups. For more information on this project and how you might replicate it in your county, contact Becky Reuter at 405-262-5555 or becky-reuter@ouhsc.edu .
Buffalo Theatre & Community Centre
After years of discussion, a group of volunteers mobilized and purchased the Buffalo Theatre in 2007. The theater had been closed since 1992. Since that time, upgrades in the property have been made that include retrofitting the facility with a portable stage to accommodate live performances as well as movies. The theatre re-opened on October 4, 2007 and is run totally by volunteers. If you want to learn more about this project, contact James Leonard at 580-735-2030 or buffalo@pldi.net .
Drug Free Community – Dream Duncan's Destiny
One of the values identified in Duncan's community plan was to have a drug-free community. A decision was made to focus on drug prevention and reduce the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs in the community. Twelve prevention methods are addressed, including the development of a youth leadership initiative, a Parent Prevention Group, Youth Centers and a Career Mentoring program. Numerous community partners have become involved, such as local churches who coordinated Fifth Quarter events after football games. If you would like to know how your community could replicate some of these programs, contact Jackie Jacobi at 580-255-2903, ext 271 or jjacobi@redriver.tec.ok.us .
Exploration Station Playground
In 2006 Hobart recognized the need for a safe place for their children to play. With the input of their elementary students the playground was designed and, with the help of hundreds of volunteers, the playground was built on April 18 – 22, 2007. A small “friends of Exploration Station” group has been formed to help maintain the equipment and the landscaped area surrounding it. There has even been a pavilion donated by a local family in memory of their child called the Charlie Freeman Memorial Pavilion. For more information on this playground “build” contact Stephen Boyd at 580-726-4206 or hobartmainstreet@itlnet.net .
Healthy Youth – Norman Regional Health System
Since 1995, the Healthy Youth program has provided basic health screening for elementary school, pre-kindergarten through the 5 th grade in the health system's service area. Since its creation, this program has provided screenings to 70,000 children in 26 public/private schools within 7 communities. Over the years, some of the screenings have identified hearing loss, significant dental cavities and vision, heart and vascular problems that required surgery. If you would like to learn more about the Healthy Youth program, contact Janice Carr at 405-307-6603 or jcarr@nrh-ok.com .
Mammogram Initiative
Since breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed at Norman Regional Health System, this initiative was created to address preventive care. It is a comprehensive education, screening, and intervention program dedicated to assuring that Oklahoma women have excellent breast health. Since 2007 over 900 breast health education packets with self-exam cards have been distributed. If you would like to get more information on this program and how it could work in your medical facility, contact Amber Pape at 405-307-1089 or apape@nrh-ok.com .
Siga Adelante (Moving Forward) – Hispanic Community Outreach
Purcell Public Library is one of six sites that are participating in this outreach language program. The project is a partnership between WebJunction ( www.webjunction.org ) and the Oklahoma Dept. of Libraries with a goal of making public libraries welcoming to the Hispanic community. The project includes three core workshops: Health and Wellness, Family Literacy, and Citizenship. If you would like to learn more about how your local library could participate in this program, contact Adriana Chavez-Losoya at 405-527-5546 or achavez@pls.lib.ok.us .
Senior Citizens Computer Outreach Program
Oklahoma City Community College and the Oklahoma City Housing Authority joined together to help area residents with their educational needs, especially seniors in the area. The need to bridge the gap and provide seniors with the tools they need to access the Internet was great. OCCC installed computer labs at four OKC Housing Authority complexes where community members can use the lab free of charge. OCCC also offered free basic computer classes and the OKC Housing Authority provided free transportation to the classes. To learn more about this program, contact Jessica Martinez-Brooks at 405-682-1611, ext. 7426 or jmbrooks@occc.edu .
SNAP Camp
Norman Regional Health System hosted SNAP (Sport, Nutrition, and Active Play) camp this past summer to serve as a summertime refresher course for families who have completed Fit Families program. It was a two week program that focused on fitness and fun. They wore pedometers to track their steps, participated in exercise activities, swam at the YMCA and shopped at the Farmers Market. These programs have helped increase awareness in food choices and participation in fitness activities. To learn how this program could be replicated in your community, contact Janice Carr at 405-307-6603 or jcarr@nrh-ok.com .
Walking for Wellness
This program was started in Weatherford as a community wide walking program to encourage a healthy lifestyle through fun and fitness. So far, more than 100 citizens participate in the program. The program includes monthly events with educational programs, giveaways, and always includes a walk or tour. The Mayor even got involved by issuing a challenge which called for participants to walk 100 miles before the centennial and over 75 people met the challenge. To learn more about this healthy initiative, contact Patti Harper at 580-774-3190 or patti.harper@swosu.edu .
Phone: 405/208-8882
Fax: 405/208-8885
E-mail: okcom@ocionline.org